Now playing in UK and US cinemas is the Disney-Pixar movie, Inside Out 2. Directed by Kelsey Mann, the film is a sequel to 2015’s Inside Out; features the vocal talents of Amy Poehler, Kensington Tallman, Maya Hawke, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Paul Walter Hauser, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Phyllis Smith, and Lewis Black; and continues the story from where its predecessor left off.
In the movie, Riley has just turned 13 and along with making some great friends, she is excelling in her favourite pastime, hockey. In fact, Riley and her friends are doing so well in the sport they are invited to take part in a hockey camp.
While this is a source of much excitement for Riley, the opportunity to go to camp is also pretty scary. What if she’s not good enough or what if she messes up? These are all questions which race through her mind.
Realising Riley is experiencing difficulties in this area, Joy (one of Riley’s inner emotions) files away all of Riley’s negative thoughts and memories. This in turn helps Joy and her fellow emotions to keep Riley’s mental health in check, and allows Riley to sleep soundly at night.
However, things take a dramatic turn when Riley suddenly starts to go through puberty. As a result, she experiences a range of new emotions, including Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment.
These new emotions initially join Joy and her friends in Riley’s mind, to help Riley navigate her teen years. However, when it becomes clear the two sets of emotions have different opinions over Riley’s future, Anxiety and Co. decide to take control for a while.
After tossing Joy and her friends into a memory vault for safe keeping, these new emotions start to guide Riley moving forward. But with no Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, or Disgust in her life, Riley is about to go on a crazy journey and one heck of a bumpy ride.
When Inside Out was released back in 2015, the film was a huge hit with critics and audiences alike. Inside Out‘s exploration of the human psyche was relatable to audiences, and as such, the movie was quickly hailed as one of the greatest animated films of all-time – a title it rightly deserved.
Inside Out was also extremely profitable. The film took over $858 million at the worldwide box-office, making it a box-office smash!
And you know what that means, don’t you? Yep, when a film makes as much money as Inside Out did, a sequel is pretty much guaranteed, whether it is needed or not.
And to be clear, Inside Out did NOT need a sequel. Inside Out told a self-contained story, which hit all the right notes, so any decision to make a sequel came from a financial place, rather than a creative desire to tell a new story.
Yet all that said, I’m happy to say Inside Out 2 is not a dud. In fact, the film is much better than anyone could have expected, and another triumph for Disney-Pixar.
Despite lacking the originality of the first film, Inside Out 2 builds on what came before, and manages to tell an effective story which is sure to entertain. This could have been a quick cash grab, and yet it’s not, there’s much to enjoy here, and much to relate to too.
At the centre of Inside Out 2 is a tale about a young girl entering her teen years. As those of us over the age of 13 can attest, this is one of the most difficult times to be a human.
During puberty we become incredibly self-conscious, we spend far too much time trying to fit in, and our emotions are all over the place. It’s not a fun time for anyone, and I for one would never want to go through it again.
Yet from a story-telling point of view, puberty is the perfect platform to create an Inside Out movie. The writing team behind Inside Out 2 (Meg LeFauve, Dave Holstein, and director/co-writer Kelsey Mann) understand this all too well, and utilise the puberty years to introduce a range of new emotions.
These new emotions become the ‘villains’ of the story, and help to drive this movie forward. Although I should say, these new emotions aren’t really villains at all, they are merely the misguided antagonists of this picture.
Chief amongst these new emotions is the orange-coloured Anxiety, as voiced by Maya Hawke. Anxiety is the stand-out star of this film, and a great addition to Inside Out 2.
Hawke captures the feeling of being anxious perfectly, and brings the emotion to life in a fun and colourful way. All of the new emotions are great but Anxiety is the key player here, and an emotion I expect everyone will recognise all too well.
Joining Anxiety is the superb Envy, the likeable Embarrassment, and the brilliant Ennui. All of these new emotions are brought to the screen with a real eye for detail, and it’s fantastic to have them on board.
But it’s not just the new emotions who are important to Inside Out 2, all of the old favourites are back, and it is a welcome return. Amy Poehler was born to play Joy, and it really is a joy to hear her and everyone else in their respective roles.
Add to all this a few additional new faces, including Bloofy, a 2D character from Riley’s childhood, and there is a lot to keep the entertainment level high. The film certainly has enough characters in play to hold the attention, and when combined with great visuals, plenty of gags, and just the right run-time (96 minutes), you’ve got the perfect excuse to head to the cinema.
Although it doesn’t quite match up to the original, Inside Out 2 is a delightful, insightful, and imaginative jaunt back into the realm of emotions. It offers all-ages entertainment alongside a solid story, and if you’re looking for escapism with clout, then you’ve got it here.
Take the kids, take yourself, or take whoever fancies a bit of animated splendour. Inside Out 2 is worth your time.
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